Immuni-T: Men More Open To Illness Than Women

Anyone wondering if there's any truth to the idea that T lowers immunity

I am busy - summarize it for me

Here we explore the evidence that high T takes the edge of your immunity. If so why this might be and what you can do about it.

Fit & well?

Cold and flu season is a great leveller. You might have a physique fit for Mr Olympia, but huddled shivering under a blanket we all look the same. I mean, what good is being able bench 200lbs when you can’t lift your head of the pillow?

Ironically, there’s evidence to suggest that the very thing which powers guys on to better health, fitness and performance most of the year, may be taking the edge off their internal defences when the germs start flying. Testosterone.

Some scientists believe a slightly weaker immune system may be one chink in naturally high T’s otherwise reliable male body armour.

Man flu: The struggle is real

Dr Kyle Sue of Memorial University in Newfoundland in Canada, used the British Medical Journal’s (BMJ) 2017 Christmas edition to make the case for an immunity gap between sexes. Because, he said, he was fed up being accused of overacting when suffering the dreaded man flu. Preach, my friend. Preach.

“I am hopeful that next time men are being criticised as exaggerating their symptoms they can say ‘hey, look at this study, there is some proof that I am not!'”

Admittedly this festive edition is usually a little tongue-in-cheek. For all we know, Dr Sue’s piece was next to a section dedicated to the photocopied buttocks of every respected academics at the BMJ’s Christmas party. But the studies he pointed make a compelling case for women being better able to battle bugs.

Not only did he point to several studies in mice – which are good(ish) models for human physiology – showing a difference, he cited human trials as well. Specifically, a notable study out of Stanford School of Medicine in 2014.

The trial looked at blood samples taken from 53 women and 34 men who were given the annual flu shot. Researchers checked for certain proteins, called immune-signalling proteins, which act as a marker for the strength of our immune response. Sure enough there was a correlation between higher T and a lower response.

That same study also identified a gene known as Module 52, which is activated in men with high T. According to the team, once switched on this gene reduces our antibodiesreaction to illness.

It’s generally accepted now that while T lowers the immune system, the female hormone, estrogen, ramps it up. While this provides better protection against everyday infections, it’s not without problems.

Women’s immune system’s for example are more susceptible to to becoming overactive. This raises their chances of serious, potentially life threatening autoimmune conditions such as: arthritis, lupus, or multiple sclerosis. Much higher estrogen levels are thought to be the reason.

It just goes to show the grass isn’t always greener on the other chromosome.

Reason for more sneezin’?

But what possible reason could there be for T not having our back when the snot hits the fan? Well it could be evolutionary.

Way back when we lived in caves and men were the hunter gatherers, we were much more likely to suffer severe injury. Sabre tooth tiger bite, squished by a wooly mammoth, what have you. Massive shocks to the system like this can cause what are known as cytokine storms.

Cytokines is the name for substances in the body which signal to white blood cells, in effect managing your immune response. In the case of sudden or serious trauma, cytokines can flood your system, triggering an over the top immune response which attacks healthy organs.

In this way, keeping your internal guard dog on a slightly shorter leash can be helpful. Certainly there is evidence to suggest men’s system’s do better in these more extreme circimstances.

Of course it might not be that men’s system’s weaker, just that women’s are a little stronger. Remember, there’s ever chance that one day women will be fighting off flu for two. So they may have extra in the locker to use, even when they don’t have a bun in the oven.

Time to T off?

Woah there. For a start, men not coping so well with infections may not be male hormone’s fault, Dr Sue admits that the evidence he found was “suggestive of an immunity gap…certainly not definitive.”

We do seem to be marginally more prone to flu, but again Sue acknowledges his trials didn’t take account of important social variables. Plenty more men than women are too bloody stubborn to go to the docs for instance. So tip one is don’t be a hero: get your flu shot.

Also, on balance, men have more bad habits that negatively affect immunity. Smoking, drinking, poor eating habits etc. So tip two is cut out the vices: stick to a healthy lifestyle.

Even if T does increase your openess to lurgy, it’s only slightly. There’s really no need for us all to become bubble boys and start getting our workouts like pet hamsters. You only have to check around this site to see the benefits of strong, natural, healthy T far outweigh the drawbacks.

Let’s remember lads, occasionally green and muscley is a good look. Check out the Hulk. Besides get a load of Dr Sue’s prescription:

“Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort,”

You heard the man. boys. Doctor’s orders!

tl; dr ... Short and to the Point

Who is this article aimed at?

Anyone wondering if there's any truth to the idea that T lowers immunity

I am busy - summarize it for me

Here we explore the evidence that high T takes the edge of your immunity. If so why this might be and what you can do about it.

All content on this website is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice, it is based upon research and the personal and professional experiences of the authors.